The great Santa debate

First and foremost, Merry Christmas to everyone and anyone reading this post! Despite the hardships of 2008, our family has been blessed enormously...not just mean in a materialistic sense.

Hubby & I discussed how to handle the whole "Santa thing" with our kids long before they were born, but this year we had to put it into practice. Ray is not quite three, so she's still too young to fully appreciate the significance of Christmas, but she's astute enough to realize that there is something to this Santa guy. What to do?

I know some people who refuse to acknowledge Santa - usually out of religious beliefs. And while our decision is also motivated by our faith, we chose not to take that particular path. As Christians, we cannot bury our heads in the sand to things of society. The Bible says that we are to be in the world but not of the world. Loosely translated, that means we are to function within society but not take up the trappings of it. Hubby & I are guilty of the latter...as are all Christians...but we try hard according to what we value and according to what we want our children to one day value.

Let's face it. Santa is EVERYWHERE! To ignore his existance is to avoid a teachable moment in my opinion. For example...a few days before Christmas (while getting ready for bed), Ray asked if her grandma could come to our house. I told her that grandma would be coming to our house on Christmas. Then I asked her if she knows why we celebrate Christmas. She mumbled something I couldn't quite understand, but in the midst of her mumbling, I distinctly heard "Santa". At that moment, I could have ignored what she said about Santa and went directly into a conversation about Jesus. I also could've chastised her for even mentioning his name. Instead I said, "Yes, honey, Santa is part of Christmas. But the REASON we celebrate Christmas is because it's Jesus's birthday." Ray is obsessed with everything related to birthdays right now, so when I said that, she got very excited. So in that moment, I was able to address what the world tells her but then also pass along what her daddy & I value more.

On Christmas Eve, I think I mentioned Jesus's birthday once more...I don't recall for certain....but after Christmas Eve service, I took her into the lobby of our church to say "hi" to people and wish them a Merry Christmas. Each time we approached someone, she would say "Merry Christmas!" and then whisper, "It's Jesus's birthday!". It was pretty cute. As a part of our dinnertime prayer that night, we lit a candle, sang Happy Birthday and blew it out. This morning when we woke her up with "Merry Christmas!", she mentioned something about Santa again, but then she immediately remembered that it's Jesus's birthday. She proceeded to tell everyone the same thing at our Christmas morning breakfast.

Truth is that I'm very proud of her. For being so young, she seems to have picked up on what we've taught her...in short order, no doubt. And as a result of our parental discussions, we decided there would be no gifts from Santa. Sure we can acknowledge his existance, but we're not going to take it that far. I know, I know, we're mean parents, right? Well, the thing is...if we don't want her to value Santa more than she values Jesus, then shouldn't we put that into action? Words alone aren't going to cut it. The example we give our girls has to be in spirit, words and action. We're still unsure about the path we're on...not quite sure it's going to work down the road...but all we can do is honor God and our children with the truth....

The reason for Christmas is Jesus. End of story. My constant prayer is that my children will embrace my values when they are old enough to decide. But in order for that to happen, I have to grab every teachable moment that I can. If I choose to leave Jesus on the sidelines while focusing on Santa, then that's what my girls will do...leave Jesus on the sidelines. I personally don't want that to happen, so I'll tackle whatever moment that I can. If she rejects my beliefs when she's older, then that's between her & God. But if I don't do my job as a parent, then it's between me & God. Personally, I don't want to stand before Him (as we all will one day) and be ashamed of the job I did in raising the precious gifts He blessed us with. As parents, we're in the business of planting seeds. All parents plant seeds into their children, and the kind of seeds planted is up to you. Hubby & I decided to plant lots and lots of "Jesus seeds" this Christmas. And I hope we're able to continue the hard work all year long...not just at Christmas time.